- Title
- Examining the defecation habits of young children from a sensory perspective
- Creator
- Beaudry-Bellefeuille, Isabelle
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2019
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Toilet training begins typically around the age of two years, and accomplishing the ability to use the toilet for defecation is an important milestone for both parents and children. While many children attain this milestone without intervention, many do not, developing defecation disorders. These disorders may have a clear medical cause, for instance anorectal malformations, or they may be functional in nature. Functional defecation disorders (FDD) result from the interaction between psychosocial factors and altered gut physiology via the brain-gut axis, in the absence of a single discrete underlying biological aetiology. FDD are relatively common and can significantly impact quality of life for both children and their families. Because approximately 25-50% of children do not fully recover from FDD and continue to have atypical toileting habits, despite medical management and therapeutic strategies, broadening our understanding of these disorders is imperative. Given bowel management is an important activity of daily living and key to an individual's independence, successful social participation and quality of life, addressing FDD forms a core component of occupational therapy (OT) practice. One aspect of FDD that has received little attention to date is the sensory reactivity related to bowel management. For some children the sensory aspects of having a bowel movement may be overwhelming. OTs are uniquely placed to address sensory reactivity related to FDD because of their knowledge base in sensory processing and integration. However, assessing this feature of FDD has been challenging because valid, reliable, and sensitive clinical assessments have not been widely available. The Toileting Habit Profile Questionnaire (THPQ), and the subsequent revised THPQ (THPQ-R) have been developed to address this gap. In this thesis, I present the successive steps taken to review the original THPQ and examine the validity of the THPQ-R. I also present the results of the final study in which we tested our hypothesis that children with FDD are at greater risk of having sensory reactivity issues than children without FDD. We have established support for this hypothesis and put forth the consideration of sensory reactivity issues in the evaluation and treatment of children with this common condition.
- Subject
- child; constipation; faecal incontinence; occupational therapy; sensation disorders; thesis by publication
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1407442
- Identifier
- uon:35725
- Rights
- Copyright 2019 Isabelle Beaudry-Bellefeuille
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 20 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |